Whooping Cough Case Reported in Kermit Schools

KERMIT - A case of whooping cough was found in the Kermit Independent School District. Now the rush begins to stop the spread.

Pertussis, more commonly knows as whooping cough, is very contagious and the spread has to be contained.

Kermit ISD Superintendent Bill Boyd told NewsWest 9 on Tuesday that two school nurses discovered the infected child on Monday.

Once that happened, the district sent out 1,300 letters to parents and students throughout the district with information and contact numbers to call.

When NewsWest 9 asked about a quarantine process, Boyd said the infected student's return to school depended on his or her health.

"Once they start their medication, their antibiotics, they are clear and they are not contagious anymore and they can come back to school," Boyd said.

That student is back in school on antibiotics and no longer contagious but for all the upcoming graduations and banquets, to be safe, officials said it may be best to leave babies taken care of at home.

"If I have a very small baby, those are the ones that are most at risk. I would probably keep those kids away from a public school building at this time," Boyd said.

So far, only one confirmed case has been found but the district encourages parents to have their children tested.

Whooping cough can just start as a runny nose and watery eyes, allergy-like symptoms but can turn into something much worse.

For questions or concerns you can call Superintendent Boyd at (432) 586-1000 or the school nurse of your child's campus.